Sometimes a simple weekend away turns out to be absolutely perfect. We recently spent three days at Wilsons Promontory, inside Refuge Cove. The weather was brilliant. We sailed slowly from Port Albert on the Friday morning and briskly back on the Sunday afternoon. For three days we chose to stay put, having spider webbed ourselves into a wee nook at the northern end of this iconic spot, but it was not without excitement! We don’t normally like to stay at Refuge Cove, as it is often crowded and the holding is ordinary. But hidden in our little bay, we were well sheltered and had this tiny spot to ourselves, well away from other boats. The water was not too cold. We snorkeled, went for a walk on the beach, read on board, and simply relaxed and enjoyed our surroundings.
Anchored in our nook
Jewel next to our rudder!
Snorkeling in temperate waters is beautiful. The water is greener than in the tropics; kelp, seagrass and seaweed replace corals, and although fish are less colourful, they are still plentiful. The hidden beauty of what is under the surface continues to fascinate us.
Here are a few photos. There were lots of particles floating in the water, which accounts for some of the speckled images, but as Wade says, “Don’t worry about it, that is the way it was, it’s like complaining about seeing green grass where cows are grazing!” He has a point!
Wow they are beautiful!
They are – shape and colour are amazing.
What an incredible captures you have of the jellyfish, they are simply MAGNIFICENT – I on the other-hand would have been on deck cheering you on, lol! 😉
Yes some people thought it was a bit dary to be in the water with them, but it was so fascinating to watch them! They can change direction, dive, cone to the surface at will! You just have to watch yourself!
gorgeous photos Chris! Sounds idyllic
It was a really special weekend, Maree… but one of the jellies got me on the arm! I did not realise till much later… it’s itchy like nettles!
These are brilliant Chris and exciting! I enjoy your underwater shots immensely.. and well, all of them. Thanks for sharing. Really amazing stuff!!
Thanks Robyn – underwater photography is an area I really want to develop and get good at… There is so much you can capture and it is quite different to what other people do… So very pleased you like it.
I love it and you do it so well 😀
Amazing pics Chris! Sounds like an idyllic weekend ….
It was! So much fun!
So wonderful! I love unexpected surprises like this, you sure took advantage of your good fortune. The speckles in the water lend themselves well to the textures on the jellies. Such a brilliant water color and love seeing all the details in the jellyfish too. Glad to read you had a relaxing 3 day adventure. Well captured!
Thanks for your kind feedback Carrie, yes this was a really special 3 days. The water was full of floating particles, so I have many shots that were not usable, but I kept trying. And yes the aqua colour was surprising, particularly since these waters are temperate…
Gorgeous pictures! I love the jellyfish in black and white over on Leane’s MM, just amazing!
Thanks Katie. yes the B&W worked really well on that one, quite striking… and I’ll tell you a little secret: it took all the speckles away 😉 but interestingly the effect does not work on all of the shots!
Great captures! I always liked spotting a jellyfish while diving – luckily I never touched it.
I did not think I had touched one, but several days later I got a reaction on my arm that looks like I did! But it was worth it!
So beautiful!! Everything – the jellyfish, the kelp, the shark, and your boat in the nook! And fun bonus that you saw an elusive species!
Yes it was really special! Sometimes things come together beautifully!
HI FOLKS everything seems to be going great for you so lap it up. How do you ever think you can settle back to your work positions after this amazing adventure,. Cheers Terry, (hope you win lotto
Oh Terry a lotto win would do nicely! It is particularly hard to settle back this year, but as you can see even weekend escapes yield great pleasures!
Absolutely stunning! I can’t wait for our two weeks in Greece in the summer so I can get out snorkeling with the camera again 🙂
Thanks Sarah, and thank you for following our adventures in sailing and photography.
Definitely my pleasure!